1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device, a relay member, and a mounting substrate, and also to a method for manufacturing the electronic device, which has at least two electronic parts coupled together and is sealed with plastics resin.
2. Description of Related Art
One way of mounting an electronic device, such as semiconductor chip, onto a mounting substrate, such as lead frame, is by connection with wires. The wire-connected electronic device has to be sealed with plastics resin after mounting on a mounting substrate. Unfortunately, the sealing plastics resin tends to bend the connecting wires or make them come into contact with one another during its flow, especially in the case where the connecting wires are long. In order to cope with this difficulty, there has been proposed an idea of diving a single connecting wire into two shorter sections.
According to the disclosure of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei6 (1994)-326235, the foregoing idea is realized by coupling two wires together through a relay member having a wiring pattern formed thereon, thereby shortening each wire necessary for connection.
A structure to achieve the same object as above is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-34567. It is applicable to a semiconductor device which is composed of first and second semiconductor elements arranged upward one over the other on a substrate such that the second semiconductor element is connected to a relay electrode on the first semiconductor element via a first wire and the relay electrode is connected to the substrate via a second wire.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-158244 also discloses an idea of joining two wires together through a relay member whose main surface is made entirely of conductive material, thereby dividing the connecting wire into two shorter sections.
Another disclosure in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei6 (1994)-21134 is concerned with the use of a wire fixing member of insulating material which is placed between the semiconductor chip and the inner lead so that it supports the middle of the connecting wire.